The necessity of sleep in the life of adults and children is undeniable. Here, we share 10 golden rules for sleeping better, both for you and your little one.

As everyone celebrates World Sleep Day today, experts in the field have identified sleep as the most underestimated source of a healthy life. In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, getting a good sleep has become a major problem for almost everyone and there are various sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnoea, etc. which impact your overall health and well-being. According to WorldSleepDay.org, it is possible to tackle or protect yourself from majority of the sleep disorders. However, only one-third of the patients suffering from sleep disorders look for professional assistance. Some estimates also reveal that sleep issues pose a worldwide epidemic that puts health and life quality of about 45 percent of world’s population in danger.

When you don’t get sufficient amount of sleep, you not only invite ailments that can affect you physically, but it is also associated with many mental ailments as well. Insomnia, which is a sleep disorder, has become a common phenomenon nowadays among kids and adults alike. This disorder brings along other health issues as well. In case you are having troubles to fall asleep, there are some lifestyle changes that you need to make in your daily life to get better sleep. Here are 10 rules that are formulated by the World Sleep Society to help both adults and kids sleep better.

SLEEP RULES FOR ADULTS

Sleep disorder has been linked to depression, cardiovascular issues, anxiety, early ageing, alcoholism along with other substance abuse. Moreover, such disorder can impact your productivity which can put your professional life in jeopardy.

Follow a routine sleep cycle. Ensure that you go to bed and wake up on a fixed time. This will help you to sync your circadian clock in a way that you will not face any difficulty in sleeping.

Avoid day-time nap. If your daily routine includes a nap in the afternoon, make sure that you are not dozing off for more than 45 minutes.

Say no to alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol consumption or lighting up a cigarette around 4 hours before going to bed can make it difficult for you to get a sound sleep.

Stay away from caffeine. Caffeine is known to help you stay awake. Having coffee or tea 6 hours prior to your scheduled sleep time can affect your snooze time.

Opt for a light dinner. Love spicy and sugary food? Make sure you don’t have them at night. They will make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

Avoid working out before going to bed. Workouts have various benefits but exercising just before you are about to go to bed can be a bad idea.

Ventilate your room. According to experts, your body temperature changes multiple times when you sleep and hence maintaining proper ventilation and an ideal room temperature can lead to a good night’s sleep.

Get rid of distracting noises. When you sleep, you don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night due to distracting sounds such as a dog bark or a car’s parking sensor. Make efforts to filter out distracting noises so that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night. Using earplugs can be an option.

Don’t bring your work to your bed. Make sure that you don’t get your mobile or laptop to bed. The blue light of these screens take a toll on your sleep. Ensure sufficient darkness for proper sleep.

SLEEP RULES FOR CHILDRENMuch like in adults, sleep troubles in children can also offer several health problems such as obesity, anxiety disorders, behavioural issues, cognitive impairment and other physiological problems.

Opt for a similar sleep pattern. The ideal time for kids to go to bed is by 9 at night. Make sure that your kids go to bed at the same time.

Follow an age-appropriate nap schedule. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, infants (4 to 12 months) should sleep for 12 to 16 hours in day. As they grow a year older, the sleep duration comes down to 11 to 14 hours and for children in the age group of 3-5, 10 to 13 hours of sleep is enough.

Maintain a bedtime routine. For kids, not only going to bed before 9 at night is important but leaving the bed consistently at the same time is equally vital.

Create an ideal environment for sleep. Several studies have noted that a cool, dark and quiet bedroom is necessary for sleep. So before your child goes to bed, make sure that his room is noise-free and dark.

Inspire your kid to fall asleep on his own. If your little one can master the technique of falling asleep on his own, half of your worries as a parent will fade away. So, encourage him to sleep independently.

Avoid bright light. According to a study published in The Journal of Physiology, exposure to bright light before going to bed in kids can reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone that plays a vital role in sleep regulation. Lack of this hormone can make it difficult for your kid to fall asleep.

No heavy meals before bedtime. This can make it difficult for your little one to doze off. A study in theJournal of Clinical Sleep Medicine mentioned that heavy food intake before going to bed can have a negative impact sleep.

Limit screen-time.Kids and young adults are addicted to smartphones and when they don’t have access to one, they opt for a computer or a television. However, it is important to understand that excess screen time affects the sleep cycle and your kid will face falling asleep at night.

Say no to caffeinated products. Foods and beverages such as coffee, tea, sodas and even some chocolates contain caffeine which forces you to stay awake. Make sure you don’t reward your little ones with these.

Follow a consistent meal time. Apart from following a constant sleep and awake routine, it is imperative that you fix a meal time as well so that your child’s body can sync with your eating habits. This will lead to better sleep at night.

Published: March 15, 2019 4:16 pm

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